Fireflowers
by Insomniac Owl
Summary: Sasuke is watching fireworks when Itachi comes home with something special. A sparkler.


Hello all. This is in honor of the Fourth of July. A little Uchiha piece I hope you like.

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Fireflowers

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He felt bad about it, he really, really did. Oto-san and Oka-san were already in bed asleep, and now he sat on their porch, waiting. But then twelve o'clock came, the first firework lit up the night sky, and Sasuke gasped in wonder.

Boom.

Itachi trudged down the streets of Konoha, but when the sky was suddenly ablaze with red light and thunder, he looked up. The light faded, sparks blown away on the wind, and it was dark once more.

Boom. Boom.

Sasuke sat on the edge of the porch, rapt with attention as he waited for the next firework. The bright multi-colored flowers of light reflected in his wide eyes, and he stared into the sky. All thoughts of being caught outside when he was supposed to be asleep had fled in the wonder of the moment.

Boom.

Itachi turned his gaze from the sky as the next firework blew up among the stars. Small groups of people huddled on their front porches, some watching him pass, but most fixated on the sky. Evidence of their earlier merry-making lay in small piles on the porches: spent fireworks, toys that flared briefly with a bright show of light, and then were gone, useless. Trash.

Boom. Boom-boom.

Sasuke's mouth opened in a wide O, and he gasped. They were so beautiful, the way they exploded in the sky. And sometimes, if he looked hard enough, he could see the tiny trails of sparks flying into the air that would later become the firework, a bright fire flower of red, yellow, purple, green… He saw one, a strand of gold sparks, and the next moment-

Boom.

He was coming home from a mission that had run later than expected. He was supposed to have been back yesterday, but things had happened… Sparks streamed down from the sky, but they were dead before were halfway to the earth. Their life snuffed out before they had a chance to live, falling… Itachi glimpsed several trails of sparks shooting through the air, a bit like hurried fireflies, and he knew what would follow.

Boom. Boom-boom. Boom.

Sasuke craned his neck out to see -the roof obscured his view when they went _that_ high, and as he saw the bright explosions of red, gold, blue and purple, he gasped, scooting forward a bit more. They were so pretty…

Boom. Boom.

Itachi absently kicked a discarded firework as he passed, the bright label displaying a fountain of sparks. And right next to the warning: keep out of reach of children, was another message. Burn time aprox. 15 seconds. Itachi turned his gaze to the sky, and watched another firework light up the sky. So short, and these didn't last even that long.

Boom.

He gasped again, in complete awe of the beauty. Even if they only lasted a few seconds, they were so pretty, and there were always more that followed. And when the show ended, he could walk around with his eyes closed and still see fireworks exploding on the inside of his eyelids. Sasuke knew that from last year. A few days later though, he could no longer picture tem no matter how hard he tried. But that was alright, because there was always next year to look forward to.

Boom.

He nearly passed it up, thinking it another discarded firework, but he paused at the last second, kneeling briefly to lift it from the ground. He held it delicately in his hand, examining the thin wooden stick. Wrapped from the middle to the top with bright paper, it was clearly a firework, and a small twist of red tissue at the top made Itachi smile slightly. A sparkler. He closed it gently in his hand, and continued walking. Not long to go now.

Boom. Boom-boom.

With every blossoming of fire, Sasuke gasped, exclaiming to himself in wonder. He was so enraptured by them that he didn't hear the soft footsteps behind him, the gentle creak of the floorboards.

Boom. Boom. Boom-boom.

Itachi stopped in the doorway, watching Sasuke. His little brother was captivated by the fireworks, at every one gasping or making a small exclamation of awe. Even after the last firework faded into nothingness, a wisp of smoke in the night sky, he continued to stare, hoping for just one more to see when he closed his eyes that night.

Itachi shifted, and Sasuke whirled, startled. His face instantly broke into a smile, and he clambered to his feet, running and dragging Itachi to the edge of the porch.

"Did you see the fireworks Nii-san?" he questioned excitedly, eager eyes meeting Itachi's, bright with the fire flowers held within them. "Did you?" He plopped down on the edge of the porch, pulling Itachi with him. Itachi sat cross-legged on the wood, Sasuke beside him, still hoping for another burst of light in the sky.

"Yes… I did."

"They were pretty, weren't they? Weren't they Nii-san?"

Itachi didn't reply. The last curls of smoke were fading fast, and as he watched they drifted away on the wind, slowly as if they were reluctant to go. Minutes passed, all through the city people were heading in, packing up chairs and placing already sleeping infants in their cribs, but Sasuke remained seated to the porch, staring up into the sky, refusing to budge until he was certain the last firework had been launched.

"There aren't going to be any more Sasuke," Itachi said quietly, and Sasuke looked up.

"But… but I want there to be," he said softly, almost mournfully. As Itachi looked into raven-black eyes, he remembered the sparkler he still clasped in one hand.

"Here," he said quietly, holding it out for Sasuke to see. His eyes lit up, and he carefully lifted it from Itachi's palm. It would have ended up in the trash, and he'd rather see that overjoyed expression on Sasuke's face.

"But… there's nothing to light it with!" Sasuke said suddenly, closing both hands around the sparkler so tightly Itachi was afraid it might break. He glanced around, then caught sight of a paper lantern hanging from a wall hook not five feet away.

"Wait here," he said, rising to his feet, and he carefully lifted the lantern, holding it out toward Sasuke. Sasuke stared at it a moment, the sparkler clasped to his chest, then he understood, and thrust the tissue-papered tip into the flame.

The sparkler caught, then burst into life with a sharp crackle and a flurry of cherry sparks that skittered in every direction. Sasuke squealed, nearly releasing it, and Itachi's quickly closed a hand around his, mindless of the red sparks hitting his bare skin as a result.

"Don't drop it," he said gently, and Sasuke nodded, fixated on the sparking light he'd been so startled of seconds ago. He sat down on the porch edge as he had before, and slowly waved the sparkler around in circles, delightedly teasing a moth that fluttered by, sparks flying in every direction. He happily continued waving the sparkler when Itachi sat beside him, his smile lit by the flying red sparks.

He watched as the paper burned slowly away, the sparks eating away at the wood, and he became aware of Sasuke leaning into him, slowly falling asleep. His little brother, his foolish little brother, diligently waved the sparkler even as his eyes drooped, his movements becoming slower, ever more sluggish as sleep claimed him. His hand eventually drifted to a stop on the wood, his breath warm on Itachi's leg, and his face lit by crimson sparks that feebly skittered from the tip, then died in a last thrust of flame.

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End file.
